Triangle
by Miss Fenway
Summary: It was one thing to lose her.  It was another thing entirely to lose her to his best friend.  NO SLASH!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N. Months ago I was talking with my BFF/Angst Twin One Man Writing Games about a rumor of a James/Camille/Logan love triangle in 'Big Time Rush'. This is what I came up with way before 'Big Time Girlfriends'. I hope you like it. I don't own anything.**

James Diamond ran his lucky comb through his brown hair. He grinned at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and gave himself a thumbs up. "Lookin' good!" He exclaimed cheerfully. He adjusted his black T-shirt and gave himself one final look over. "You are so ready to get a girlfriend today."

"Really, James?" Kendall Knight rolled his eyes at one of his best friends. "We've been here for six months and you haven't met anyone who you really like. What makes you think that today will be any different?"

"Because," James spun around. "I've got a feeling!" He sang out, ignoring another eye roll from Kendall. "Seriously, man." He said, punching Kendall lightly on the shoulder. "Today is the day I'm going to fall in love. I just know it."

The two boys heard a laugh and turned to see Carlos Garcia, another third of their four member band, Big Time Rush, watching them in amusement. "Let me know how that turns out for you, James. I'm going to lunch with Stephanie and then we're stopping by the animal shelter. She volunteers there every Monday." He made a face. "I hope we don't have to do anything gross." But Carlos was too good humored to ever be in a bad mood for too long and he grinned at James. "Hey, James. If you're prediction does turn out to be true I'll buy you and your girlfriend lunch, okay?"

James grinned back. "I'll hold you to that, Carlos." He held out a hand and the two boys shook hands enthusiastically. "And you better not mean McDonald's." James started to leave then turned around and pointed at his friend warningly.

Carlos shrugged. "Who knows? But you already shook on it so there's no going back." He laughed at James' face. "I promise, man. It'll be nice enough."

"I believe you." James picked up a pool towel and flung it over his shoulder. "'I'll be down at the pool if you guys need me. Try not to interrupt me and my new girlfriend though, okay?" He winked at his friends and then left the apartment with Kendall and Carlos shaking their heads.

It was was perfect summer afternoon to sit by the pool. James pulled of his shirt and draped it over his favorite chair before settling down and closing his eyes against the bright sun light. Once his eyes adjusted, he opened them again and looked around thoughtfully. He couldn't understand why he didn't have a girlfriend yet. Back in Minnesota he had always had girls chasing after him. Now he was lucky if they gave him the time of day. And yet, all of his friends had a girlfriend.

Kendall had Jo Taylor, a singer/actress from North Carolina. The two were perfect for each other. They were not only both blonde and good looking but they also had great personalities and similar interests.

Carlos had Stephanie and those two were even more alike than Kendall and Jo. Both were incurable pranksters and always looking for a good time. But they were also two really sweet people and James was happy for his friend.

Even Logan had a girlfriend. Logan was painfully shy and awkward around girls which was why James really didn't understand why he and Camille Sanders were together. Both were amazing people and everyone liked them but it was definitely a case of "opposites attract" with the two of them. Camille was headstrong and full of confidence while Logan was timid and preferred to stay out of the spotlight.

It was weird because the more he thought about it, the more James realized that he and Camille were very much alike. But she was absolutely infatuated with Logan and Logan was at last getting comfortable with the idea of being in a relationship. James didn't want to mess anything up.

"James!"

James jumped in surprise and found himself looking up at Camille herself. The dark-haired actress grinned at the look on his face and he suddenly found himself floundering for something to say to her. "Camille!" He finally responded intelligently. "What's up?"

Camille sat down in the chair next to him and folded her hands in her lap. "I actually came by to ask a favor." She blushed and looked down at her hands.

"Sure, what's up?" James asked curiously. He grinned. "Want me to tell you Logan's favorite number?" He teased.

"No I-" Camille stopped and gave him a funny look. "Logan has a favorite number?" She asked in confusion.

James laughed. "Of course he does." He answered fondly. "That's our Logan. He loves everything to do with numbers so naturally he would have a favorite."

"That's so cute." Camille sighed. "I wish he was here today. Why does he have to take a math class in the summer?" When James merely looked at her, she sighed again. "Logan." She answered herself. "Anyway, what is Logan's favorite number?"

"Six." James said. "I forget why exactly. Something about it being a 'perfect' number'. It's some sort of math term I think." He shrugged and changed the subject. "So since you didn't come to ask me what Logan's favorite number is, what did you come to ask me?"

Camille looked surprised as if she had forgotten about her question entirely. "Oh, right." She said finally. "Sorry, I forgot. Well, since Logan is going to be gone for the afternoons this week I was wondering if you wanted to help me with an audition I have coming up this Saturday."

James hesitated. "What kind of role would I be playing?" He asked warily. "Listen, Camille. I'd be happy to help you but since you and Logan are technically a couple now I wouldn't want to mess anything up. You know?"

"That's so sweet, James." Camille smiled at him. "But don't worry. I'd never ask you to do anything like that Basically my character falls in love with this 'bad boy' and you play my overly protective big brother who doesn't want me to get hurt." She smiled up at him. "See? Perfectly harmless."

James nodded in relief. "Sure, Camille. I'd be glad to help you then. Do you have the scripts with you?"

Camille thrust a small stack of papers at him and stood up. "Thanks so much, James. You're Mike and I'm Leah." She looked around at the noisy pool scene. "Would you mind if we practiced in the lobby though? It's less crowded and it's easier to concentrate when it's quieter."

James nodded in understanding and stood up as well. "Let's go then."

* * *

Logan Mitchell closed his math book and notebook and piled the two together. He picked them up and stood, preparing to leave. He thanked Mr. Jackson, the professor, and left the building. The summer heat had cooled considerably and the early evening was enjoyable for Logan to talk the short distance from the university to his home at the Palm Woods hotel.

When he arrived though, Logan immediately sensed that something was off. The teenagers outside kept giving him strange glances, mixed emotions on their faces. Logan recognized concern, confusion, sympathy, and even anger. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and Logan quickened his pace, eager to get to Apartment 2J to make sure that all of his friends were okay. He was stopped in the lobby however, by the Jenifers of all people. "Hi." He greeted, unsure of what they could possibly want with him.

The blonde Jenifer lowered her sunglasses and looked at him. Logan was surprised to see sympathy in the usually harsh eyes. "Logan, I just want to be the first one to tell you that I'm really sorry." She said softly. "It's gotta suck."

Logan felt his uneasiness shift into a barely controlled panic. He swallowed hard. "Sorry?" He repeated nervously. "Sorry about what?"

Jenifer's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you don't know?" She asked him. "Where have you been all day?"

"At a summer math course. It's just for a week but-" Logan stopped his explanation. She didn't need to know everything. "Look, what's the matter? Is everyone okay?"

The Jenifers traded glances with one another. "Oh, Logan." Blonde Jenifer seemed to be the one selected to do all the talking this time and it made Logan even more nervous. Usually all three of them had something to say. "So you really have no idea."

"No idea about what?" Logan asked helplessly. He had to literally resist the urge to shake an explanation out of Jenifer. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

"James and Camille." Jenifer looked at him as if the names were supposed to mean something.

All Logan knew was that she had mentioned one of his best friend's names and his girlfriend's name. Had something happened to James and Camille? Where were Kendall and Carlos?

"They've been hanging out all day long. Just the two of them." Jenifer's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "At first they were just talking but then they started to look like they were getting cozy with each other." She never took her eyes off Logan's face, watching his expression carefully. "I can't imagine what it must feel like to have your best friend and your girlfriend go behind your back like that."

Logan could only stare at her. "James is my best friend. He would never-"

"Oh, Logan." Jenifer's voice was sickeningly sweet and condescending. "You're a sweet guy but you're also extremely naïve. That's how things work sometimes." She reached out and patted him gently on the cheek.

Logan pulled away in disgust. "Shut up." He snapped, forgetting that he really shouldn't be so rude to girls. Besides, it was better than punching them which was exactly what he wanted to do. "You're either lying or you're stupider than I thought. I don't know what's going on but I'm sure that there's a perfectly good explanation for everything. So if you'll excuse me I think I'll go find out for myself." He turned around and stalked away, ignoring the stares that the heated discussion had attracted.

Despite Jenifer's warning, Logan was still surprised to find James and Camille together in a secluded part of the lobby. He pushed away the sudden, nagging feeling that the sight caused and walked up to them casually. "Hey."

James and Camille looked up at him as if he was the last person on Earth they had expected to see. "Logan!" James exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Um. . ." Logan gave his friend a funny look. "I live here remember?"

Camille stood up and gave him a quick kiss. "We weren't expecting you back." She said breathlessly. "What time is it?"

"A little after six." Logan shifted uncomfortably and looked at James and Camille carefully. Neither one of them looked even remotely guilty or embarrassed but they looked confused.

"Wow, really?" As if to prove Logan's guess, James' eyes widened. "Time sure flies, huh? How was your math class?"

"Good." Logan nodded and then cleared his throat. It was better to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. "Can I ask you guys something?" They nodded and he went on, staring at his shoes. "I ran into the Jenifers outside. They told me that you two were hanging out all day and. . . I was wondering. . ." He looked back up at them. "I was wondering what you were doing." He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh!" James finally looked properly ashamed but Logan still didn't know why. "Logan, I'm sorry. We should have told you right away. Camille asked me to help her prepare for an audtion she has this Saturday since you're going to be busy this week." When Logan nodded and waited for him to go on, James picked up his already tattered scripts and gave them to his friend. "I'm Mike and Camille is Leah. We're brother and sister."

Logan glanced at the scripts and instantly felt ashamed of his earlier suspicions. "Oh." He hastily handed the papers back to James. "Sorry, I should have known. Things were just really weird when I first came in."

Camille and James both nodded and smiled. "So it's okay if James keeps helping me?" Camille asked.

"Yeah, sure." Logan blushed even more. "You don't need to ask my permission."

"I know." Camille shrugged and then kissed him again. "I just wanted to make sure." She smiled at both boys and then backed away a little bit. "I didn't know it was so late. I'd better head up to dinner."

"We should too." James said, looking sideways at Logan. When he nodded, the two parted ways with the actress and headed upstairs. "Are you okay with this, Logie?" James asked quietly as they waited for the elevator.

Logan nodded. "Yeah. Really, it's no big deal, James. I trust you."

**A/N. So this was short and maybe ended suddenly but it's the first chapter. Not much has happened. . . yet. Please review and you just might find out what I have planned. Because the earlier author's note and the title of this story didn't give it away or anything. Lol. But no, seriously. Please review if you read and liked this. It means a lot to me to get feedback. Thanks so much!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N. So you guys are just absolutely amazing because I never expected such a positive response for this story. I hope we can both keep it up! I don't own anything.**

The week flew by at an incredible rate. James practiced with Camille all day every day, determined to give her the best chance possible at the role. It was uncomfortable at first because everyone stared at them accusingly even after Logan himself said that he trusted both James and Camille. Even Kendall and Jo and Carlos and Stephanie watched the pair closely for the first two days until once again, Logan stepped in and told them to cut it out. James was grateful for his best friend's trust and intervention but as time wore on, he began to grow uneasy.

He had always liked Camille as a friend. She was beautiful, talented, passionate, and funny. But he had never thought of her as anything more than a friend even before she and Logan became a couple. He had started to have a different opinion of her though since they started spending so much time together. He started noticing new things about her that if he was perfectly honest, he loved. Most people saw her as crazy and over dramatic. He saw her as passionate and determined. She was so unlike Logan and so like James that he had mixed feelings when the week finally came to an end.

"James, I was wondering if you'd let me take you out to lunch tomorrow afternoon as a thanks for helping me so much this week." Camille set her script down and looked at James expectantly. When she saw the surprise in his eyes, she quickly explained her reasoning. "I asked Logan. He was fine with it."

James looked down at his own script and considered Camille's words. She had said that Logan was okay with it and he had no reason not to believe her. Surely it was harmless. "Just as friends?" He clarified anyway. When she nodded, he smiled uncomfortably. "Okay." He finally agreed, ignoring the little voice in his head that was warning him that he was better off refusing. "Sounds great." James smiled, mentally promising that he would check with Logan later that day just in case.

Camille returned his smile. "Great." She said and then changed subjects before James could even think of reconsidering. "Okay, let's run over the third scene one more time."

* * *

"Hey, Logan." James greeted his friend as he walked into the apartment later that day. "Can I ask you something real quick?"

Logan gave him a curious glance over his shoulder as he walked down the hall to his room. "Sure." He said, beckoning James to follow him. He set his books on his desk and sat down on a chair, waiting for James to speak.

James bit his lip and then closed the door behind them. He sat down across from Logan on the neatly made bed. "Camille invited me to lunch tomorrow." He blurted out. He sat and waited for Logan's reaction, wondering if a more sensitive approach would have been better than his direct words.

But Logan showed absolutely no sign of surprise. Instead he nodded and smiled. "Yeah, she wanted to thank you for helping her so much." He saw the doubt in James' eyes and continued. "If it makes you feel better, I'm taking her out to dinner tomorrow night. On a date."

James relaxed then and nodded. "Oh, okay. That's good." He rubbed the back of his neck in the awkward silence that followed. It was a habit he had picked up from the eleven years he had known Logan and when he realized he was doing it, he dropped his hand and stood up. "I just. . . you know. Wanted to make sure." He mumbled as he fiddled with a loose strand on Logan's blanket until a glare from Logan made him stop.

"Thanks, James." Logan said sincerely. "It means a lot to me that you're handling this whole thing so carefully."

James kept his face carefully blank as he nodded again. "Sure, buddy." He walked across the room and opened the door. "I'll let you study for the exam you have tomorrow." He teased as he left the room.

Logan merely rolled his eyes and opened his book to study. He did have an exam tomorrow and then the class would officially be over.

James went into his own room and shut the door. He sank down on his bed and buried his head in his arms. He struggled to sort through his feelings but everything was so confusing. James was used to feeling confident about everything but the past week had been different and it scared him. It scared him so much that tears came to his eyes. He had never expected for any of this to happen.

He was almost positive that he had fallen in love with his best friend's girlfriend and he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He had the occasional girlfriend in Minnesota and crushes in California but he had never felt the way about those girls that he felt about Camille. She was different, special. But Logan and Camille were together. Logan loved her and Camille loved him. He didn't want to hurt them.

It would get better though. It had to get better. After tomorrow, things would go back to normal and everything would be fine. James would just have to put his feelings for Camille aside for Logan's sake. At the moment it killed him that he could never have Camille. But Logan came first.

At least Camille didn't like him. That would make it easier to let her go. James had always wanted to be an actor. This experience would be good practice for the future of that career. He was sure that his feelings would change and he would be fine with being Camille's friend.

* * *

James stared uncertainty in the mirror. Camille didn't say where she had planned to take him and he had no idea how to dress. He knew that it wasn't somewhere fancy because that would be weird and wrong. But at the same time he doubted that Camille would take him to somewhere that was too casual. He finally settled on nice jeans and a T-shirt that gave him a clean and simple appearance. Harmless. He ran his lucky comb through his hair and gave himself a halfhearted thumbs up.

On his way out the door, he was stopped by Kendall and Carlos. Carlos was nervous and his expression was troubled. James knew that a small confrontation was coming just by looking at Carlos. The younger boy hated confrontations. He braced himself and looked at Kendall. "What's up?" He asked quietly.

Kendall regarded him carefully and then gave him a small smile. "Have fun, James." He hesitated and then spoke again. "Just. . . be careful okay?"

James refused to let his annoyance show because as much as it scared him to admit, his friends' caution was actually justified. Logan was way too trusting. "I know, Kendall. We'll be fine. I promise."

Kendall and Carlos both nodded. "See you later than." Kendall told him as Carlos gave him a small wave before focusing his attention back on the TV.

James breathed a sigh of relief when he made it out of the apartment without more of an interrogation. Camille was waiting for him in the lobby and the two walked quickly out of Palm Woods, ignoring the glares that were sent their way.

"I thought we'd go down to that new restaurant down the street. They're supposed to have really good sandwiches."

Immediately James sensed that something was off with Camille. She was quiet and subdued and the usual spring in her step was gone. But instead of questioning her, he nodded. "Sounds good to me." He had always wanted to go to the restaurant and ironically he had always assumed that he would take his girlfriend there on their first date. He tried to ignore the thought because it made him feel guilty. Instead he tried to make conversation as they walked down the street. "Great day, isn't it?" He asked, feeling lame.

Camille nodded silently. She seemed distracted and it made James even more uneasy. _She's probably just nervous about her audition. _He told himself. It had been earlier that morning and he couldn't wait to here about how it had gone. But from Camille's foreboding silence he couldn't help wondering if it had actually gone horribly wrong and he decided to wait until they were eating lunch until he asked her.

"So." James looked up from his chicken ceaser wrap. "How did it go?" His question was met with a blank stare. "The audition." He added. "When will you know?"

Camille managed a weak smile. "Good. I felt pretty confident when I was finished." Then she shrugged. "But I've felt confident before and you know how that always goes. They said they'll call me sometime between 4:00 and 5:00. I guess all I can do until then is wait."

Something was definitely wrong. Camille loved to talk about her auditions in great detail, even the ones that went horribly. James didn't know what to do though. He was Camille's friend but Logan was her boyfriend so maybe he should be the one to talk to her. James took a sip from his glass of water and bought time. Finally, he couldn't stand seeing her so sad without knowing why. "Camille, are you okay?" He asked softly. "You're kind of quiet." He grinned, trying to lighten the situation. "Have you been missing Logan this week?"

Instead of smiling at his teasing like James had expected her to do, Camille looked even more upset. She glanced up at him, tears filling her eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly.

Camille brushed a hand across her eyes. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I hate crying."

"Do you want to talk about it?" James glanced cautiously around the small resturant. No one they knew was there. Still. Crying girls was something he wasn't used to, especially when it seemed that there was a very good reason to be upset. James was out of his element. "You can talk to me, Camille. Would you rather talk to Logan though? I can call him if. . ." He trailed off when he saw that his words only seemed to be upsetting Camille even more.

Camille shook her head quickly at the mention of Logan. "No. I can't talk to Logan about this."

The uneasy feeling in James' stomach doubled. Logan was smart, sensitive and understanding. There wasn't a better listener that James knew. Something must be really wrong if Camille felt that she couldn't talk to Logan of all people. "Let me help you, Camille." He said, and before he knew it, James placed his hand over Camille's.

Camille flinched at the touch but she didn't pull away. "It's about Logan." She finally said, looking up at James with tears running down her face.

James was even more confused. Logan was upsetting Camille? He racked his brain for something his genius best friend could have possibly said or done that had reduced his girlfriend to tears. He knew that whatever it was hard to be completely unintentional because Logan never hurt anyone if he could help it.

"He's so sweet and caring and-" Camille went on to list all of Logan's characteristics and James could only nod his head in agreement.

"Why is this a problem?" He finally had to interrupt Camille's babbling story over something Logan had done for her birthday the month before.

"Because I think he loves me and. . ." Camille buried her head in her hands so that the next few words were unintelligible.

"Camille, I can't understand you." James tried to pry Camille's hands away from her face. "Say that last part again."

Camille's tears slowed and she looked at James sadly. "I don't feel the same way about him." She saw the concern that James had for his best friend pass over his face and she looked down. "I love him as a friend but I don't love him. In fact. . . I think I'm in love with someone else."

She didn't have to say it. James knew. And yet, he wasn't happy. Instead, his heart felt like had dropped down to his toes and he even felt a little sick to his stomach. Camille's confession had caught him completely off guard and he didn't know how to react. "Camille." He finally choked out.

Camille found her voice again. "I used to think of you just as a friend but the entire time we hung out this week. . . everything was different." She took a deep breath and went on. "Logan's the first real boyfriend I've had and I really like him. But just as a friend. Now."

It was James' turn to bury his head in his hands. "He loves you." He said quietly.

Tears filled Camille's eyes again. "I know." She whispered back. "You and I. . . we're so much alike James. I mean, we have similar hobbies and passions and. . . I can't really think of anything that Logan and I have in common."

"Opposites attract?" James tried desperately.

Camille shook her head. "We've been hanging out every night by the pool when he got home from his class. I can't feel the spark between us anymore. It's like I fell out of love with him." Her brown eyes stared into James' hazel ones. "And I fell in love with you."

"Stop!" James' voice was louder than he had intended and he cringed when a few curious glances were sent their way. "Listen, Camille." He lowered his voice again. "I'm going to be perfectly open and honest right now. I love you too." James rushed on before Camille. "But Logan is my best friend and the last thing I want to do is hurt him."

"I understand." Camille sniffed and wiped away another tear. "But regardless of how you feel about us, James. . . I can't stay together with Logan. It'll only hurt him worse if I wait."

James nodded solemnly. "You're right." He said quietly. "Camille," He said, taking her hand in his and feeling a spark that only part of him rejoiced in. "Do what you think is right. But. . . be kind to him."

**A/N. I love angst and this is a new kind of angst to me. You all used to love me. Do you hate me now? I'll make you love me again by telling you this: After 'Triangle' and 'Innocence Lost' are finished, I have three more stories. I'll be writing 'Nightmares' first, then 'How to Save a Life', and then 'Head On Collision.' Let's just say that I'm saving the best for last. Anyway. Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N. I am so tired right now. I hope you all like this chapter. I don't own anything.**

Camille stood anxiously in the Palm Woods lobby waiting for Logan. She twisted her hands together and looked around the room, feeling the heated stares from everyone in the room. Her cheeks flushed with color and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She jumped and looked up to see Logan approaching her with a look of concern on his face. She forced a smile to her face. "Nothing." She said quietly. She let him kiss her on the lips, and closed her eyes, waiting for the old spark. It didn't come. She opened her eyes and gazed at Logan, searching for anything in his expression that told her he might feel the same way. There was something different about him, something that she couldn't put her finger on.

"Ready to go then?" Logan took her hand in his and looked at her expectantly. He seemed perfectly oblivious to the fact that everyone was staring at them and it made Camille want to cry all the more. He was the only one who didn't know.

"Yes." She nodded and allowed him to lead her out of in lobby and into the night air. When they reached the Big Time Rush mobile, he opened the door for her and closed it once she was settled. Then he climbed in and sat next to her in the driver's seat. "Where are we going?" She asked, trying to keep her voice light.

Logan drummed in fingers on the steering wheel and looked down. "It's a surprise." He murmured, a blush heating his usually pale cheeks. Then he looked quickly at her. "Or would you rather I told you?" He asked uncertainty. He was always second guessing himself.

Camille shook her head. "No, you know I love surprises." But it was hard to sound cheerful at the thought of Logan having a special dinner planned when she herself was planning to break up with him. "You shouldn't second guess yourself so much." She chastised gently.

Logan laughed nervously. "I never second guess myself when it comes to school." He joked. "Just ask the guys." He eased the car to a stop at a red light and risked a glance over at her. "I probably should have said this earlier but you look really beautiful tonight, Camille." His smile, illuminated by the street lights overhead only made Camille feel worse and she couldn't answer him. The smile disappeared and Logan bit his lip. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, his brown eyes dark with worry and concern.

"I think I'm just a little tired after the long week." She told him, only partly lying.

The light changed to green and Logan turned his gaze back to the road but his attention was only diverted a little bit. "I wanted to wait until we got to the restaurant but how _did_ your audition go? Did you get the part?"

The question brought a small smile to her face. "Yes." She said and then prepared to tell him about the phone call. But before she could speak, Logan let go of the steering wheel with one hand to hold her own hand.

"Congratulations, Camille! That's terrific. You must be so excited." He risked a glance at her. "You are excited, right?"

"Yes." She said firmly, calling on her best acting skills. "It's a great opportunity. Filming starts in two months."

"I'm really proud of you." Logan brought her hand to his lips and kissed in gently before letting it go to grip the steering wheel with both hands again. "James will be happy for you too. Everyone will. You deserve this."

Camille was grateful that they had come to a busy intersection that required absolutely all of Logan's attention. But her relief soon faded when she saw that Logan was taking her to one of the fanciest Italian restaurants in town. She had always wanted to go but even reservations were impossible. "Oh, wow." She said in spite of herself.

"Kelly helped me a little." Logan confessed humbly. "Her brother works here and he managed to get us a table pretty last minute." He parked the car and smiled at her again. "Are you surprised?"

"Definitely." Camille nodded. "Wow, Logan. I don't know what to say." She stared at the building in awe and fumbled to open her door only to have Logan open it for her and help her out. "Thanks." She said quietly.

Logan took her hand again and intertwined their fingers together. "Let's go." He said, his eyes bright with anticipation.

Camille allowed him to lead her, wishing she could laugh at the irony. She had always wanted him to be more assertive in their relationship and now that he was finally doing so, she wasn't even in love with him.

"Can I help you?" The host was dressed in a clean white shirt and black pants. He smiled at the young couple. "Name?"

"Logan Mitchell." Logan told him confidently.

Camille watched him, wondering where all of the confidence had come from. He was confusing her too. Because at the same time, he was nervous about something.

They were led to a small corner table and soon they were too busy looking over the menu to be engaged in a serious conversation. When they did order their food though, Camille dropped into deep thought of how she would tell Logan her new feelings. It would be awful of her to break up with him after he took her out to such a nice place. Who was she kidding though? It would be awful to break up with him at all. But it had to be done. She couldn't go on pretending that she loved him. The longer she did, the more hurt he would be.

"Camille, tell me honestly. Are you really okay? You've been pretty quiet all night long." Logan twirled a leftover bit of pasta around on his fork with no real intention to eat it.

"I'm okay." She said quietly. "I need to talk to you though. About our relationship."

Logan set his fork down and nodded. "Actually so do I." He told her, suddenly looking uncomfortable and nervous.

A silly hope surged within Camille and she hoped that Logan would actually be the one to break up with her. But it was too good to be true.

Logan smiled shyly and ducked his head in embarrassment. "Yeah." He said as he set his fork down. "Well, really I have something to read to you."

Camille watched as he pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket. "Read what?"

"Well," Logan's nervousness had picked up intensity. "See, I write letters to my mom sometime. I mean, I know she can't read them but I used to go to her grave all the time in Minnesota and talk to her." He shrugged. "This isn't much different, is it?" He didn't wait for an answer though. "Anyway, let me read it before I lose my nerve." He looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. You can talk as soon as I'm done." Then he cleared his throat and began to read.

"Dear Mom. Remember the girl I told you about? Camille? Well, I've been dating her for three months now. It's been some of the happiest three months of my life to be honest. I've had the occasional girlfriend back home in Minnesota but none of them made me feel the way I feel when I'm with Camille. She makes me happy. I love being with her."

"You'd never think that we could be a couple. We're so different. In fact, a lot of people have been saying that. They're saying that we won't last much longer. See, not only are our interest different, but our personalities are like night and day. But I think that's why we work so well together. It's not really a case of opposites attract. It's more like we balance each other out. We complete each other."

"She makes me say and do things that I wouldn't if I had never met her. She's made me a better person. Braver. I try to find a reason why I deserve her but I keep coming up empty. It's like Kendall and James and Carlos. What did I do to deserve such great friends? What did I do to deserve such an amazing person?"

"I've always been kind of afraid of loving people. You know that. I'm afraid of how bad it might hurt if I had to let them go. But I can't keep living like that, especially with Camille in my life. Because the truth is that I love her, Mom. More than I thought I was capable of and that kind of scares me. But it's worth it. Camille's worth it."

Logan set the paper aside and looked at Camille expectantly. "That's as far as I got, Camille." He said softly, his voice shaking with emotion just a little bit. "But I meant every single word. I really do love you."

"Logan," Camille whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "That was beautiful. I. . . I don't know what to say." She admitted.

"It's okay." Logan said forgivingly. "We don't have to talk about that right now. I just wanted you to know." He watched her nod in acceptance and smiled. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

Camille's heart sank lower than she thought possible. There was no way she could tell Logan what she had wanted to now. It would be cruel. "It can wait." She heard herself say. "It can wait."

* * *

James paced the floor of Apartment 2J and waited for Logan to return home. He had decided that the best way to approach the situation was head on. Logan would be hurt and angry and he deserved to be. But James couldn't hide from his friend. He was guilty and he needed to own up to his mistakes.

But was falling in love with Camille really a mistake? It wasn't like it could be helped? James never hated himself so much before. Why did love have to be so complicated?

Before he could dwell on the thought much longer the door swung open and Logan walked in. James braced himself for his friend's verbal assault but it never came.

"James, you'll never believe it." Logan shook his head as he walked into the kitchen a filled a glass of water.

"What?" James asked, weakly.

"I told Camille how I feel about her. I mean, I read a letter I wrote to my mom. But I told her I loved her. She didn't know what to say. She was speechless." Logan stared at James with a somewhat dazed expression on his face. "I can hardly believe it myself. I didn't know I could actually do it." A huge grin split his face. "I told Camille I loved her." He repeated. "Isn't it unbelievable?"

"Yeah." James said in a faint whisper. "Unbelievable."

* * *

"What did you do to him?" James demanded as soon as he reached Camille. "He came home last night absolutely ecstatic because he told you that he loved you." His vice shook. "Camille, he thinks you feel the same way about him! How could you? Do you have any idea how much it's going to hurt him when he finds out otherwise?"

"I know." Camille had started to cry again. "But, James. What was I supposed to do? After he read me the letter, I didn't know what to say."

"You have to tell him." James pleaded. "You can't lead him on like this."

"Don't you think I know that?" Camille wiped away her tears only to have more run down her cheeks.

James backed down at the sight of the tears. "I'm sorry." He said softly. "This is hard for you. I wish I could do more to help but I'm caught in the middle right now."

Camille broke down sobbing. "I don't want to hurt him." She whispered.

"I know." James felt his own eyes fill as he realized just how complicated things had become. "Please don't cry, Camille." He drew her into a careful hug, offering comfort within the enclosure of his arms.

It was an innocent hug. He only wanted her to stop crying and she went to him for comfort. If only they knew that they weren't alone in the Palm Woods lobby late at night. Then maybe things wouldn't have blown up in their faces.

**A/N. Oh wow. That was horrible. I'm sorry. I need sleep. Let's make a deal. I go to sleep, you read and review and I'll wake up and update either this or 'Innocence Lost' as soon as I can. Sound good? Sweet.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N. Did you guys ever see, 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'? If not, you should go to YouTube and type in 'KHAN!' in the search bar and watch the first video. And remember that this is what I do every day except I shout "ANGST!". It's amazing. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to WyszLo who will kill me 145 times when she's done reading this chapter. I love you! I don't own anything.**

Logan couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked twice and then rubbed his face and looked again, hoping again hope that he had just imagined the scene in front of him. But it was still there and it was like a blow to the stomach.

When the boys were nine, they had played a pick-up game of soccer with some other boys from the neighborhood. Logan had volunteered to play goalie and since he had always had quick reflexes, his friends readily agreed. He had excelled at the position, perhaps a little too well, because the other boys didn't take too well to being shut down by him. One of them had suddenly aimed straight at Logan and put everything he had into a powerful kick that sent the air flying out of Logan's lungs. It seemed like he had laid on the ground for ages while his friends were torn between running for help and chasing after the other boys. They had ended up simply staying with Logan, repeatedly telling him that everything was going to be okay. And they were right. Because eventually, Logan managed to take in several weak gasps for air and then he was breathing normally again. But it had been scary.

Logan had never imagined that one of his best friends would cause the same thing to happen. Only this time it was so much worse. A hiss of pain escaped from him and he sank down into the nearest chair, trying to catch his breath and collect his scattered thoughts at the same time.

He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he wasn't blind. James and Camille had their arms wrapped tightly around each other in a way that was far from platonic. It was the way Camille had her head buried in James' shoulder, seeking comfort. It was the way, James stroked her beautiful hair in a soothing gesture. Logan could see that Camille was crying but he couldn't imagine why. The knowledge that she had gone to James rather than him, was something he couldn't understand.

Confused. Bewildered. Hurt beyond belief. Betrayed. Logan didn't know what to make of the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He stood up and after one last look at James and Camille, who were still hugging, he quietly left the Palm Woods lobby for the safety of Apartment 2J.

"Dude, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"He looks like he's going to be sick, Carlos. Logan?"

Logan nearly groaned out loud. In his rush to get away from James and Camille. He had forgotten all about his other friends. Kendall and Carlos had been watching TV but the instant they saw Logan, they were at his side with questions.

Anger. Logan suddenly felt nothing but anger. He couldn't believe that James would do something so horrible. What kind of friend was he? He knew that Logan loved Camille. Camille. Logan didn't even know what to think about her. He had poured out his heart and his soul to her and she had ignored that completely.

How long had this been going on? Maybe Logan really was blind since it seemed like everyone else had seen it coming. But he had trusted James and Camille. He had trusted his best friend and his girlfriend. Ex.

"Logan!"

A firm hand suddenly grasped his arm and gave it a slight shake. He realized that Kendall and Carlos were still waiting for him to reply. Logan cleared his throat and tried to keep his voice steady. "When James comes in, tell him I'm in my room. I need to talk to him about something." He saw Carlos' eyes widen and Kendall's eyes narrow but he ignored them and stalked off to his bedroom where it took all of his self-control to keep from slamming the door. He sank down on his bed, his heart slamming wildly in his chest.

"Logan, what happened?" Kendall's voice came from the other side of the door but it sounded much farther away. "What did James do?" He sounded a little scared and Logan didn't blame him. The concept that one of his friends had hurt another was foreign to Kendall. But for the most part, there was anger in his tone. The same anger that scared away Logan's and Carlos' bullies away when they were younger.

Logan shivered a little, grateful that he had never had to be on the receiving end of Kendall's wrath. It was scary enough to witness from a distance. He could hear Carlos asking Kendall a question and he was about to tell them to leave him alone when the apartment door opened again and their attention was immediately diverted.

"What the heck did you do?" Kendall demanded as soon as James walked in. He had appeared practically out of nowhere with a confused and worried looking Carlos right behind him.

"What?" James backed up a little bit as his friends advanced on him.

"Don't give me that." Kendall snapped. "What did you do to Logan?"

James felt the color drain from his face at the words. "Logan." He whispered. _He knows._ The thought made him feel suddenly sick to his stomach.

"Yes Logan." Kendall said impatiently. "He just came in here looking really upset about something. The only thing we could get him to say was that he wanted to talk to you when you came in."

"Kendall, maybe James should go talk to Logan." Carlos suggested shakily. "That's what Logan wanted." He spoke to Kendall but his confused gaze never wavered from James' face.

"Fine." Kendall backed down enough to allow James to pass. "But only because it's what Logan wanted." He nodded down the hall. "He's in his room. You'd better go see what he wants."

James knew what Logan wanted to talk to him about. But he nodded and brushed carefully past Kendall and Carlos to the closed door of Logan's bedroom. "Logan?" He said, knocking softly. "It's me."

The door opened and Logan gestured for him to enter but he shook his head when Carlos and Kendall tried to follow. "Just James." His voice was strained and tight with anxiety and he closed the door before either boy could protest.

When it was just the two of them, Logan turned around to face James. "How could you?" He whispered, clearly hurt.

"Logan, I-"

"You always get the girl, James. Back in Minnesota, you always had a girlfriend. Why couldn't you just let me have Camille?" Logan didn't really know how else to phrase the question. "You're the good looking one, the one with all the confidence. And I'm just. . . normal. Normal and awkward around girls. But I liked Camille. I loved her, James. And I thought she felt the same way about me until tonight."

"I saw you two." Logan's gaze dared James to deny anything. "You were hugging and. . ." He choked a little on the words before he could finish. "Both of you looked like you were enjoying it."

James couldn't look at Logan's face. He couldn't stand the pain in his eyes and know that he was the reason Logan was nearly in tears. He dropped his gaze to the floor and opened his mouth to speak but Logan beat him to it, each word like a tiny knife stabbing James in the heart.

"I trusted you, James. I trusted both of you. Even when the Jennifers rumors about you and even Kendall and Carlos were wary. I trusted you and you just walked all over me."

"No, Logan, it's not like that!" James exclaimed, tears filling his eyes. "Listen to me, okay? I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant to fall in love with Camille. I just wanted to help her with her audition."

"You went behind my back." Logan stated in an accusing tone. "I was never around this week. It was the perfect time for you to make your move."

James shook his head. "I didn't try to make a move." He said, pleading for Logan to believe him. "I didn't feel this way about her until this week when we were spending so much time together."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Logan asked doubtfully. "Because I don't believe you. All that crap about love at first sight? I don't buy it. Relationships take time, James." A lone tear managed to get past the blockade and slid down Logan's cheek. "I bet she was just using me all along to get to you." He whispered.

"Logan, that's not true!" James bit his lip at the sight of the tear. "Camille wanted to tell you tonight but then you read your letter and-"

Logan winced. "Don't remind me. I can't believe I was so stupid. I must have looked like such an idiot."

"I'm sorry." James said helplessly.

Logan glared at him. "You know what?" He asked, his voice suddenly bitter. "Sorry doesn't fix everything, James."

James' heart sank so low it was a wonder that it didn't stop beating. "What do you mean?" He asked, afraid to hear Logan's answer.

Logan laughed then, surprising James. "What? Are you afraid that I'll quit Big Time Rush and ruin your dream? I guess that's be really bad since not only would you have to give up your Hollywood dream but you'd have to leave your new girlfriend too."

Big Time Rush had never occurred to James until Logan mentioned it, but he was horrified only because he was thinking of his friends and not their band. "No." He whispered.

Logan didn't believe him. "Well, don't worry." He said quietly. "I'm not quitting. That would be a little extreme."

"Can we be friends again?" James wanted to kick himself for asking such a stupid question.

Logan smiled but James' heart only sank lower at the sight. "Last time I checked," Logan said slowly. "Friends didn't stab each other in the back. Last time I checked, friends were honest with each other. Last time I checked, friends were people you could trust." He went on. "Now _band members_. . . That's different. There are plenty of bands out there who aren't friends with each other."

"Logan," James could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"I mean they tour the country together, they share a tour bus. . ." Logan shrugged. "What can't we do the same?" He fell silent and waited for his words to sink in.

"So," Logan spoke up again when the silence stretched on. "If you'll excuse me I need to go talk to Camille. Don't wait up."

James stood frozen for a second as he watched Logan start to leave the room. Then he came alive again and reached out, catching Logan's arm as he turned to go. "Logan, wait. Let's talk about this!"

"What's there to talk about, James?" Logan's voice was weary. He sighed. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"But I want to talk." James begged.

Logan finally looked at him. "That's just it though. You _always _get what you want."

James flinched at the words but he didn't release his hold on Logan's arm. "There has to be something."

"Not right now, James. I just need to think." Logan freed his arm.

Once again, James tried to stop his friend from leaving.

It was funny how normally calm people could suddenly just snap. Logan never thought of himself as a violent person but when James tried to stop him again, all of his emotions came boiling to the top and he yanked his arm away and drew his fist back to punch James. At the last second though, he realized what he was about to do and diverted the action so that his fist came in direct contact with the wall.

Pain exploded in his hand and Logan dropped to his knees and cradled the injured hand close against his chest.

"Logan, oh man, are you okay?" James was at his side in an instant but before he could say anything else, Logan was already moving away.

"I think I broke my hand." Logan told him through gritted teeth. He stood to his feet and started to leave again.

"Logan, let me help you!" James touched Logan's shoulder but was shrugged off.

"Haven't you done enough?"

**A/N. ANNNNNGGSSSTT! Ahem. Review? Please? Because it's totally not cool when I get 28 reviews for the first chapter, 19 for the second and 14 for the third. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but it's a motivational killer. Anyway. Who wants to kill me now?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N. You know what I hate? When I get so excited about upcoming fics that I just want to hurry and finish my current ones. I'm trying my best to pace myself here, so I apologize if I fail. I don't own anything.**

Logan kept his injured hand pressed tightly to his chest and started to open the door with his good hand. But before his fingers could even touch the door knob, the door itself swung open and he backed away quickly to avoid being hit. Kendall and Carlos stood on the other side, not even bothering to conceal the fact that they had been listening in on James' and Logan's conversation. Kendall was livid with rage as he stormed in and walked right up to James while Carlos looked almost frightened. Logan ignored everyone and left the room.

His hand throbbed painfully and he walked into the kitchen and rested it on the counter so he could inspect it better. The knuckles of his fingers were already swelling painfully to twice their normal size and his whole hand had turned ugly shades of black and blue with a bit of purple. Logan hesitantly tried to flex his fingers and winced as the pain shot up and down his entire arm. It was definitely broken. He opened the freezer door and fumbled awkwardly for one of the ice packs that Mrs. Knight kept stocked for Carlos. Logan rolled his eyes. She had probably never thought that he would need one.

"Logan?"

The voice startled Logan and he jumped, his hand brushing against various items in the freezer and sending them crashing to the floor. Before he had time to react, Carlos was at his side.

"Sit." The other boy ordered gently as he knelt to pick up the spilled food. When he finished, he handed Logan an ice pack and pointed at the swollen mess. "Is it broken?"

Logan nodded and cringed as the cold hit his aching hand. "I can't move it." He told Carlos without meeting his gaze.

"Shouldn't we go to the hospital then?" Carlos bit his lip and frowned at Logan in worry.

"Probably." Logan answered quietly. He gingerly lifted the pack to take a quick peak at his hand and sighed. "Yeah."

Carlos left the room and Logan could hear him talking loudly to get Kendall's attention. Seconds later, he emerged with a still angry Kendall and a very remorseful James.

Logan carefully avoided eye contact with James and walked towards the door. "You know," He finally said when James still continued to follow them. "Someone should stay and tell Mrs. Knight and Katie what happened."

It was painfully clear what his tone implied and James stopped short and let Kendall and Carlos pass him. "Logan, I'm sorry." He whispered as the door swung shut.

Because the night hadn't gone horribly enough, as the three boys walked down the hall, they ran into Camille. "Logan, what happened?" She asked with wide eyes as she stared at Logan's hand. "And where's James?"

Kendall and Carlos motioned for Logan to keep walking but he ignored them and stopped in front of Camille. "Wouldn't you have a better idea than I would?" He asked, trying to keep his voice light and casual.

Camille's eyes widened even more as Logan's words hit her. "What?" She stammered. Then she looked at Logan's hand again and her mouth dropped open in alarm. "Did you two get into a fight?" She asked, her eyes filling with tears.

"Don't worry I didn't hurt him." Logan brushed past her and continued walking with Kendall and James who both looked a little stunned by the anger in his voice.

"Logan, let me explain!" Camille pleaded as she tried to follow.

"You don't need to explain, Camille." Logan tried to ignore her and walked on. "I get it. I just wasn't good enough for you."

"Logan, that's not-"

Logan stopped so quickly that Camille nearly ran into him from behind. He turned to face her. "Just. . . stop. Don't talk to me, Camille. I can't deal with this right now."

Camille tried to stop him again but finally Kendall sent her a glare that made her stop and as she watched helplessly as the three boys walked down the hallway, she wondered if she had ruined an amazing friendship.

* * *

It was late when the boys got back. They had waited in the hospital waiting room for three hours before a nurse was finally able to see Logan and give him a brace for his hand. By the time they returned to Palm Woods it was nearly 1:00 in the morning and after calling to check on them, Mrs. Knight and Katie had gone to bed. James was seated on the orange couch, alone. His eyes stared blankly at the TV that wasn't even on but the minute he heard his friends walk in, he stood up.

"Logan-" He stopped and stared. Logan's right hand was covered in a small, but uncomfortable looking brace. "How bad?" He finally managed to ask, weakly.

"Broken." Logan said in a flat tone. But James couldn't really complain since he had expected Logan to ignore him completely. A small burst of hope surged through him that Logan would be willing to talk to him but it died when the younger boy walked passed him to his room. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

James took one step to follow him but Kendall grabbed his arm. "You're a selfish jerk." He hissed in a whisper. "What were you thinking? You've known Camille for how long? A few months? And you've known Logan for practically your whole life. Shouldn't he matter a little more than for you to just toss his feelings aside like they don't matter?"

The flood of tears that he had been holding back for hours was close to breaking. James bit his lips so hard he tasted blood. "He does matter." He whispered, in a shaking voice. "I don't know what happened, Kendall. Honestly I don't. One day everything was normal and then the next I was falling in love with Camille. I know I should have said something or stopped spending so much time with her. Maybe that would have helped, I don't know." James looked at Kendall and Carlos with wide, frightened eyes. "What if he never talks to me again?"

Kendall softened just slightly. "I'm sure he will. This is Logan we're talking about. Not that you deserve to be forgiven right away." He saw James flinch a little at his harsh words. "It's true, James. Logan trusted both of you. Maybe you couldn't help it in the beginning. But this is where I'm having trouble understanding things." His eyes went from angry to pleading for understanding. "Why did you keep going even though you knew it was a mistake? You knew you were falling in love with your best friend's girlfriend and you didn't do anything about it."

"Because," James said honestly. "I never thought that Camille would feel the same way for me. I thought that once the week was over, everything would go back to normal and I would just accept things and move on. I thought I could do it but I was wrong because then Camille took me out for lunch and told me everything."

"But still," Carlos spoke up then. "What were you planning to do after that?"

"Nothing! I swear." James wanted to pull his hair out in frustration. "Okay, honestly? I love Camille, and falling in love with her was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life. She said that she loved me too but I can't. . . I can't do anything about that. It'll hurt Logan even more. I wouldn't even think of her as my girlfriend."

"Does she feel the same way?" Kendall asked uncertainly.

James shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know." He finally said. "She didn't want to hurt Logan either but. . ."

"But?" Carlos prompted.

James shook his head. "I don't know. I think she's hoping this whole thing will blow over and everyone can move on. It's not going to be that simple though, is it?"

"No." Kendall told him. "James, you and Camille both messed up really badly this time and now Logan is hurting. This mistake you guys made. . . it's not going to be as easy to fix as some of the other, past mistakes. It's a little bigger than that."

"He said he wasn't going to quit Big Time Rush." James mumbled. "But he also said that we would be band members and not friends."

Carlos winced. "That may be how he feels right now." He said quietly. "I think he just needs some time like he said."

Kendall nodded. "But James, you and Camille need to talk about what you're going to do. Obviously, you both need to apologize to Logan but you also need to talk about your relationship."

"We have no relationship." James said firmly. "And we never will if it hurts Logan this much. It's not worth it."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Kendall said in relief as he looked down the hall to Logan's room. "But James, Logan may forgive you two and move on but I don't think his relationship with Camille will ever be the same again."

James felt nothing but guilt. "I know." He said miserably. "I ruined it."

Carlos shrugged. "It takes two." He reminded James in an offhand way that said that his feelings of resentment were deeper than he let on. "Camille is just as much to blame as you are."

"Should I go talk to her?" James asked.

Kendall raised his eyebrows and glanced meaningfully at the clock. "It's too late right now. First thing tomorrow, okay?" He looked back at James, a hint of forgiveness in his green eyes.

James nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, guys." He stood there awkwardly and waited for them to say something but was only met with an uncomfortable silence that told him he had to make things right again before he was let off the hook entirely. He just wondered if he could ever make things right again. He watched as Kendall and Carlos nodded in response and then walked slowly off to their own rooms.

He suddenly felt completely drained and exhausted. He sank down to the orange couch and put his face in his hands, his emotions swirling around so much that he almost felt dizzy. He felt like the worst friend in the world and he probably was. He tried to remember Carlos' words, that Camille was just as much to blame as he was, but all he could really think of was how they never would have been in this mess if he had stopped it sooner.

James was selfish. He wanted a girlfriend and when he had fallen in love with Camille, everything else had disappeared for just a little too long, long enough for him to get his guard down and believe that it would all work out. He had been a fool to think that. He didn't know much about love and apparently he didn't know that much about friendship either because he had possibly destroyed his relationship with Logan.

The thought was almost too painful to dwell on. Logan's words repeated themselves over and over in his head. _"Now band members. . . That's different. There are plenty of bands out there who aren't friends with each other."_

James gripped the edge of the couch with shaking hands, his knuckles turning white under the pressure. He would never be able to live without his friends. It wouldn't be worth it. They were the only ones who really understood him. The four of them had been a team for as long as James could remember. Had one week of his stupidity messed that up forever?

Kendall and Carlos both seemed to think that Logan would forgive James. But what if he never did? What if they were band members for the rest of Big Time Rush and then after that Logan would simply move on with his life without James? What would happen then? What would happen to Kendall and Carlos? They would undoubtedly be on Logan's side. James would have nobody. He would be alone.

Tears had started to run down James' face but he didn't bother to try and stop them or even brush them away. More than anything he wished he could go back in time and change everything. He would say no when Camille asked him to help her. Then everything would be normal and right and sane and he wouldn't be crying like a scared little boy. He would have his friends back.

**A/N. I didn't like this chapter. Lol. Oh well. Maybe you did? Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N. I love it when I get rid of Writer's Block. I still don't own anything.**

Logan woke up the next morning with an ache in his hand, an ache in his head, and an ache in his heart. He clenched his jaw and refused to let any years fall. He was determined to forget all about James and Camille and get on with his life.

He got out of bed, wincing as the movement caused his hand to throb even more. Sunlight streamed in through his open window, warming the carpet under his bare feet. He crossed the room and pulled out a clean T-shirt and pair of jeans, the actions taking longer than usual since he only had one working hand.

He changed as quickly as he could with one hand, which wasn't very quick at all, and splashed cold water on his face to wake up. It had been a long day and an even longer night because he hadn't slept well. The hand brace was uncomfortable to say the least but his mind was going too fast anyway for Logan to drift off for very long. His stomach growled and he left the bathroom to get breakfast.

James was the only one awake besides Logan and immediately the room was filled with tension. Logan tried to ignore James but he could feel the other boy staring at him as he moved around the large, open kitchen. He didn't speak though and Logan wasn't about to initiate a conversation either so the only noises in the room were the sounds that Logan made as he fixed himself a bowl of cereal.

Logan suddenly wished that he was ambidextrous so that his left hand was as good as his right. Eating was harder than he thought it would be and he hated that he had to eat so slowly with only James in the room with him.

Then James was sitting across from him at the counter. His eyes were red-rimmed with tears and he looked as tired as Logan felt. It weakened and almost broke Logan's resolve to see James so upset. But he shoved down his feelings of pity and replaced it with last night's feelings of betrayal and resentment.

"Can we talk?" James pleaded.

Logan shook his head. He didn't want to talk. James knew that. Why did he even bother by asking? "There's nothing to talk about." He replied evenly.

A flash of hurt showed in James' eyes and he opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind and fell silent. He stared down and one finger traced the pattered counter top aimlessly.

Logan finished his breakfast and got up, carefully juggling to bowl and spoon in one hand before placing them in the sink. Then he frowned and stared at it for a moment, wondering how he would go about washing them with one hand.

Before he could think too long, James was at his side again with an offer. "I'll wash them for you." He bit his lip and waited, afraid to hear Logan's answer.

"Thanks." Logan said quietly. He stepped aside and let James take his place by the sink. Both of them knew that he had only thanked James because it was the polite thing to do. There was nothing else to say so Logan left the room.

James sighed as he ran the bowl under the hot water. This was a whole new side of Logan that he had never seen before. He didn't like it at all. It hurt to have Logan so cool and distant, treating him as if they were only acquaintances rather than best friends. But James knew that he deserved some level of punishment. He could only hope that he could be forgiven. He missed Logan.

Way deep down, Logan felt guilty for treating James so badly. But every time he felt a twinge of guilt, all he had to do was remember last night and it was easy to leave James in the kitchen and go back in his room. There, he contemplated his next move.

They had rehearsals with Gustavo but not until after lunch. It was only nine in the morning. That left Logan with a good four hours to waste before his next obligation. He didn't really want to leave the apartment since it would greatly increase his chances of running into Camille. He also didn't want to face anyone else after he had been the last one to figure out what they had known all along. But staying in his room all morning wasn't a very appealing option either.

He decided to risk the others' attention briefly and leave Palm Woods altogether. He would go for a walk. It was a beautiful day. "I'm going out." He called over his shoulder, because once again, it was the polite thing to do.

The instant he set foot into the lobby, all eyes were him. Logan kept his gaze straight ahead and kept walking. He heard whispers behind him but didn't look back. The sooner he got out, the better.

"Logan!"

Logan groaned. Camille made it to him before he could walk out the door so he stopped to face her. "James is back in the apartment."

"I don't want to talk to James right now, Logan." Camille shook her head. "I want to talk to you. I want to explain."

"Explain later. Maybe I'll feel like listening." Logan turned back around and walked out of the lobby before Camille could protest further. He squinted at the bright sun and headed down the street to the park a few miles away. He hoped he could clear his thoughts in a place that wasn't so crowded.

* * *

James jumped at the knock on the front door. He had been standing at the sink since he finished washing the bowl for Logan and the sound startled him out of his thoughts. He opened the door and instantly frowned. "Camille."

"Logan won't let me talk to him." Camille said, tearing up already. "I tried to talk to him last night and just now. I saw him leaving and I wanted to explain but he wouldn't listen." She was babbling, something she only did when she was really upset. But when she stepped forward and tried to hug James, she was caught off guard.

James took several steps backwards and held up his hands. "Don't." He said in a tense voice. "Please."

Camille looked hurt by his rejection. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Look, Camille." James ran his hand through his hair and realized it hadn't even been washed since yesterday morning. He also realized he didn't care. "We need to figure out how to fix things with Logan before we do anything else. He comes first."

Camille nodded. "I agree. Can. . . Can I come in? Or do you think we should talk somewhere more private?"

James snorted. "I think the less private, the better. Come in. Kendall and Carlos should be getting up soon. But I should warn you that they're both pretty mad at us right now."

"Well," Camille sat down on the orange couch and watched as James sat all the way on the other end, maintaining a safe distance. "I guess we deserve that don't we?"

James nodded then sighed. "I should probably tell you what happened last night."

"What happened to Logan's hand?" Camille asked, her eyes growing wide at the memory.

"He saw us hugging." James said flatly, as if Camille hadn't spoken. "When I came up, Kendall and Carlos cornered me and told me that Logan wanted to talk to me. I knew right then that he found out somehow."

"Then he started talking about how I always had a girlfriend in Minnesota and he was too awkward around girls. And he told me how he trusted us even when everyone else didn't."

Camille covered her face with her hands but James kept talking.

"That's not even the worst part. Logan said we went behind his back. He thinks we loved each other from the beginning and that you were using him to get to me."

At that, Camille sat up. "You're kidding!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Think about it, Camille." James said. "It makes sense. Kind of anyway. Logan's never been confident and I've always been a self-absorbed jerk. He felt more sure of himself with you. You were good for him. And now. . ." He shook his head. "He was right, Camille. We walked all over him."

"It's not like we did it on purpose though." Camille said, trying to salvage their reputations.

James glared at her. "Does that matter? Maybe it's easier for you to brush off since you haven't really known Logan for very long. But I've known him since we were five. Eleven freaking years and he's never let me down in his life and I turned right around and did this to him."

"It takes too." Both Camille and James looked up to see Kendall and Carlos walk in. Their expressions were carefully blank as they joined them on the couch. James found it a little comforting that they sat closer to him. It made me feel like he had support. Kendall leaned forward and looked at Camille. "Look. I don't want to hurt your feelings. Okay, maybe I do. A little bit. But I'm trying not to because that would just be stupid. I'm trying to be fair and honest."

"What Kendall is trying to say is we think you're letting James take too much of the blame." Carlos said bluntly. "I mean, you were both jerks and could have handled this thing differently and maybe Logan wouldn't have gotten so hurt."

"How though?" Camille asked in frustration.

"By preventing it!" James exclaimed. "Camille, this whole thing was a mistake right from the beginning. We never should have spent so much time together without anyone else. And when we did realize our feelings we should have stopped and tried to sort through them. But we didn't and now Logan's the one paying for it all."

"So what are you saying then?" Camille asked, her eyes filling with tears. "Are you saying we shouldn't be together? Are you saying that we're a mistake?"

James' mouth dropped open in disbelief. "How can you still be thinking about us?" He asked her. "I told you, already, this isn't about us. It's about Logan." He stared hard at the girl sitting across from him, trying to see how he had fallen in love with her. He felt so stupid. "I care more about him than I do about you." He finally said, and then sat back and waited for her reaction.

"James, I didn't mean it like that." Camille backtracked quickly but it was too late.

"Was Logan right after all? Did you use him to get to me?" James rose to his feet, making Camille stand too.

"No!" Camille shook her head. "James, I promise."

He could see that she was telling the truth. But what bothered him was that he could also see that she was still thinking of their relationship instead of Logan. "I don't understand you, Camille." He said, shaking his head. "One minute you seem to care about Logan and the next, you're obsessing over our relationship. Well as far as I'm concerned, we never had a relationship and we never will." On the outside, he was yelling at her, taking all of his feelings of guilt, fear and frustration out on her. But on the inside he was beating himself up for falling in love so quickly with someone so contradictory and shallow.

"You. . . You don't mean that." Camille's eyes filled with tears.

"I do." James looked right past her tears. "No one is worth it if it means hurting one of my best friends."

Camille bit her lip. "I'm sorry you feel that way." She said softly. "And I'm sorry I hurt you and Logan and everyone else." With that, she turned and left the apartment.

The boys all stared after her, in complete disbelief. Finally, Kendall put a hand on James' shoulder. "I'm sorry, James."

"For what?" James laughed bitterly. "I was the stupid one to fall in love with her."

"No," Kendall shook his head. "I'm sorry Camille's letting you take all the blame. You don't deserve that."

James sat back down and rested his chin in his hands. "Do you think Logan will ever forgive me?" He whispered.

Carlos sat down next to him. "Of course we do." He said, looking up at Kendall who joined them on the couch and nodded. "He's Logan. He'll come around. Just give him time."

**A/N. All right. I'm going to start running now. You guys can come chasing me after you review, okay? Okay.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N. It's been quite a while hasn't it? And I really shouldn't be writing this now. I should be writing a research paper for my literature class. Just call me Queen of Procrastination. I don't own anything. This chapter is dedicated to EpicInTheLibrary because she came up with the idea and you guys, I just love her, okay? Okay.**

Logan wasn't the type to hold a grudge. He wasn't like Carlos who tended to forgive and forget within an hour of the incident. But he wasn't like Kendall and James who took a little longer to come around, swallow their pride and forgive. He fell somewhere in between. Logan was his own person. He tried his best to look at the situation from the offender's point of view in hopes of understanding their words of actions better. That was why he put up with his absent father for so many years.

But this was different. Logan had grown used to his distant relationship with his father. He had grown used to being let down by Ryan Mitchell. He learned to lean on others. Like his best friends. Like James. So he didn't know why to do when it was James who broke his heart and his trust. For so long, James had been on of the few people that Logan felt he could depend on. And as much as Logan wanted to forgive James and pretend that what had happened with Camille didn't bother him, it was easier said than done.

Nobody was really surprised when rehearsals with Gustavo came and went and Logan still hadn't spoken to James. Upon hearing what had happened between the two boys, Gustavo and Kelly were far from happy. They were worried that the tension would make it hard for the boys to concentrate. They were right of course. With the exception of Logan, who was used to throwing himself into his work and using it as a distraction from his problems, the boys struggled mightily, missing cues, tripping over their own feet, and generally zoning out. James wasn't used to one of his best friends treat him like a complete stranger and Kendall and Carlos were caught in the middle. They were still furious at James but at the same time, Logan's uncharacteristic behavior unnerved them. In the end, Gustavo gave up and sent them home early, giving Kendall strict instructions to "fix" the problem.

Even though Logan's cold shoulder to James was well deserved, Kendall started to get really worried when one day changed into two and two days changed into three and Logan still hadn't budged. He got that sinking feeling that there was more than he himself could see with what had happened between Logan and James and Camille. Something had hurt Logan more deeply that Kendall himself could guess. As for Carlos, he hated seeing his friends fight and the fact that Logan barely spoke to anyone and the other fact that James looked constantly on the verge of tears made him unhappy. He wished they could just talk. But Logan didn't want anything to do with James and avoided him as much as possible. Kendall didn't even know what to do and that only increased Carlos' fear and worry because Kendall always knew what to do.

James was going to go insane. In all his life, he couldn't remember a worse fight between any of them. He could literally use his fingers and toes to count the words Logan had spoken directly to him and still have digits left over. The other boy's silence hurt but it was nothing compared to the pain and betrayal that lingered in Logan's eyes days after that horrible night. James hated himself and he didn't blame Logan one bit if he never wanted to be friends again. He didn't deserve Logan's friendship.

James tapped his foot restlessly, the sound muffled by the carpeted floor. He glanced at his watch. 2:15. He had been waiting for half an hour. Waiting for Logan. But he had gone for another walk and had yet to return. He had been spending more and more time by himself lately, not going to great lengths to avoid Kendall and Carlos, but not constantly at their side like normal. One thing that hadn't changed about Logan was that he was still as responsible as always. He always told someone where he was going and when he expected to be back. Unfortunately, that person hadn't been James so he had no idea how much longer he would have to be waiting.

He looked at his watch again. 2:20. He heaved a frustrated sigh. It felt like a lot more time than five minutes had passed. James stood up and paced around the room. It was easy to do. Logan always kept his room perfectly neat.

James had decided to ambush Logan since he had been so intent on avoiding him. What better place to do it than his room where he would definitely come right after his walk? James wasn't exactly sure what he planned on saying to Logan once he actually did return. He wanted to ask for what he didn't deserve. But there was another problem that needed to be addressed. As the days passed, and Logan became increasingly withdrawn from everyone, James was worried that he had hurt him so badly that he stopped trusting people all together. He wanted to at least try and fix that problem. Kendall had offered to talk to Logan but Jame insisted. He had made the enormous mess and it was his job to clean it up. Or at least try.

As James made his fifth lap around the room, something on the floor by the trash can caught his eye. He frowned and bent to retrieve a crumpled up piece of paper. Logan had obviously intended to throw it out but had missed the trash can and had yet to notice. James' first move was to simply toss the trash where it belonged. But something held him back. That same something made him sit at Logan's desk and carefully unfold the paper, smooth out the creases, and read it.

He couldn't stop reading it if he tried. But James didn't even try. He read the letter and he read it again and again and again until the words were spinning around in his mind and he had to rest his head in his hands to fight off the sudden dizziness. He felt like someone had punched him in the stomach and hit him over the head at the same time. He felt physically sick and before he knew it, tears had sprung to his eyes and he had to blink them back. As if to punish himself further, James read the letter once again. His free hand, the one that wasn't holding the piece of paper, clenched into a fist, fingernails digging into his palm. And he thought he felt horrible before.

The letter Logan wrote to his late mother was heartbreaking in more ways than James thought possible. It was the way Logan shot himself down, saying he didn't deserve Camille or his best friends. It was the way he made a vague allusion to his father when he talked about his fear of loving people. It was the way he called James a "great friend". The guilt inside of James intensified until he felt like it was eating him up from the inside. He took a deep breath and with shaking hands, began to crumple up the letter once again and throw it away when a voice stopped him.

"What are you doing?"

James' head snapped up and his entire body froze when he saw the figure standing in the doorway, a look of complete disbelief on his face. His throat felt so dry that it was a miracle he managed to speak at all. "Logan."

Logan was suddenly at James' side. He snatched the letter from his hands, tore it up into tiny pieces and threw them all in the trash can. Then he turned back to James, his face heated in embarrassment and hurt all over again. "Why? That was private, James. Why would you read it?"

James searched desperately for words to explain his action but he came up empty. "Logan, I'm so sorry. I was waiting for you. I was hoping we could talk. And then I saw that on the floor and I was going to throw it away but then I was reading it and-" He cut off his ramblings abruptly when saw the doubt in Logan's eyes. "I'm sorry." He repeated.

"Get out." Logan whispered.

James cringed at the words. "Logan, I-"

This time Logan cut him off. "Get out, James. Please." The pain had smoother over to a blank look as Logan gestured to the door. He shook his head when James opened his mouth to speak again. "I can't deal with this right now, James. I want to be alone."

James wanted to protest this. He didn't want Logan to be alone again. He spent far too much time alone and it worried all of them. But there was nothing he could do. It occurred to him that Logan had wanted to be alone so badly that he had spoken more words to James in the past minute, than he had in the past few days combined. So he stood and left, whispering yet another apology and he walked past Logan.

Tears blurred his eyesight and he didn't even see Kendall until he ran straight into him. He felt a steady hand being placed on his shoulder and somehow he made it to his own room. The hand pushed him down on his bed and James heard Kendall's voice.

"What happened?"

James looked up to see not only Kendall, but Carlos there as well. "The letter." He managed to choke out.

Kendall's face went from concern to confusion. "What letter?" He asked.

But how could he tell them? James shook his head, trying to fight back the tears that had been threatening to fall for days. "I. . . can't." He whispered brokenly.

"James, you can tell us anything." Carlos finally spoke up. "We're your friends."

James could only shake his head again. "You'll hate me when I tell you." He insisted. "You won't want to be my friends anymore. Just like Logan. And I deserve it."

"You can tell us anything." Kendall repeated Carlos' words. He waited but James didn't say anything. "James," He said gently. "If this has anything to do with Logan, then you need to tell us. We're worried about him too but you know more than us. At least tell us for Logan's sake."

Kendall was right. So instead of shaking his head again, James nodded. "Okay." He breathed. "When Camille and Logan went out the other night, Camille had been planning on telling him part of her feelings."

"Part?" Carlos questioned.

"I told her earlier that if we were ever to have a relationship, then it would have to wait a while. Like, she couldn't just break up with Logan and then be with me. But she thought that the sooner she broke up with him, the better."

"She was right about that at least." Kendall grudgingly admitted. "But she was too late."

"Yeah." James said quietly. Staring at his hands. "Because Logan was already in love with her. He. . . He read her a letter that he wrote to his mom."

The silence that followed his words was almost unbearable. James could feel Carlos and Kendall staring at him, in total disbelief. When he glanced up at them, he saw a sadness in their eyes that made him look quickly back down.

"His mom?" Kendall finally repeated in a shaky voice that made James feel impossibly worse. Kendall hardly ever cried.

"Yes." It was all he could say.

"Well," Kendall bit his lip. "At least things make a little more sense. I mean," He ran a hand through his dark blonde hair. "Wow."

"Poor Logan." Carlos murmured sadly.

"What happened today?" Kendall asked at last. "What does. . . the letter have anything to do with today?"

James cringed. "I was waiting for Logan in his room and. . . I saw a piece of paper on the floor so I. . . I picked it up to throw it away but. . . then I read it." He fell silent and waited for his friends' reactions.

"James." Kendall whispered in disbelief. "Why?"

Exactly what Logan had asked him. The tears began to burn his eyes again. "I don't know." He whispered miserably. "I honestly was just going to throw it out and then before I knew it, I was reading it." He forced himself to look up at Kendall and Carlos. "He talked about how he was in love with Camille and how he's afraid to get too close to people and. . ." His voice cracked and he trailed off, waiting until he steadied himself. "He said he didn't deserve us as friends. But he was wrong. I don't deserve you guys as my friends."

**A/N. Short and sweet seems to be all I can write lately. I'm sorry. I hope you liked this. Please review. Reviews motivate me better than anything else. I should probably start that paper now.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N. I am an overachiever. Because I got a B on my Art essay that I wrote last week and I'm sad now. So I am not responsible for the angst in this chapter lol. I don't own anything. **

Logan wished that it was the middle of the school year instead of summer. He had way too much free time on his hands, time that used to be occupied with Kendall, Carlos and James or Camille. But since he found out about James and Camille, he had started to keep to himself, reverting into a full version of the self that he had always kept hidden: the part of himself that was afraid of relationships. It freaked him out and he knew that the others were worried about him. He longed for the distractions of a classroom like textbooks or a teacher's lecture where there were always answers. Then again, his right hand was broken which would probably make things like holding and writing with a pencil more difficult than usual.

It was fairly easy to read a novel though so that was what Logan did. In the span of five very long days, he had read _The Hobbit_, _The Fellowship of the Ring, _and was halfway though _The Two Towers. _All of the reading was certainly time-consuming but Logan found the distraction factor lacking a great deal. The books didn't hold the same appeal that they used to. Maybe it was because Logan could no longer relate to the amazing friendship in the epic series.

Logan always liked trying to connect a fictional character's life with his own and those of his friends. That was part of the reason he had read J.R.R. Tolkien's books so many times. He loved every member of the Fellowship, even Boromir because he may have screwed up but he made up for it in the end. He loved how the nine overcame their multitude of differences and saved Middle-Earth, while growing to genuinely care for one another in the process. He had always been able to relate to the characters but now that feeling was gone.

Logan sighed and let the worn out paperback slide from his one-handed grasp and fall to the floor. He lifted his gaze to the ceiling and tried to remember what his Fellowship used to be like.

Kendall was without a doubt, Aragorn. He was their brave, fearless leader and he would do or say anything if it was the right thing. He always managed to get them out of tight situations and he never gave up.

Carlos was Pippin. He was the youngest of the group and they all felt protective of him because of this. He could make anyone feel better and smile and laugh at his ridiculous pranks and jokes. But at the same time, he could be mature and wise beyond his years when the situation called for it, much like Pippin toward the end of the series.

James. James was Legolas. But not just because of his good looks. Instead of going with his fellow Elves to the Grey Havens where they would continue to live their immortal lives in peace, Legolas had chosen to remain with his friends and fight for Middle-Earth even if it meant him losing his life. James was loyal like that, or at least he used to be. Logan wasn't really sure of anything anymore.

The only thing that ever bothered Logan in all of his years of relating his life with Tolkien's world, was that fact that he couldn't see himself in any of the members of the Fellowship. He wasn't brave or funny or clever. He hadn't been very loyal in the past week. It had always upset Logan before but now the feeling was even worse. He found himself questioning whether he belonged with James and Kendall and Carlos at all. No matter how much he thought, he couldn't come up with an answer.

Loan gave up on searching for an answer that he wouldn't find and stood up from his bed. He picked up the fallen novel and tucked it carefully under his arm. Maybe all he really needed was a change of scenery. "I'm going to the park." He told Mrs. Knight as he walked by the kitchen where she was preparing her special homemade lasagna. "I'll be back by dinner."

Kendall's mother looked at him with motherly concern but nodded as she added fresh basil to the sauce mixture. "It should be ready by seven."

Logan smiled because he knew it was she wanted to see. He also suspected that she was making the lasagna because neither he or James had much of an appetite lately. His smile froze and faded when Mrs. Knight stepped forward as if to hug him. He backed away and fumbled clumsily for the door knob. "Thanks. I'll see you then." He couldn't look at her in case he saw hurt in her eyes so he ducked his head and walked quickly out the door.

Once he was outside, he began to breathe a little easier. But the self-loathing increased because he knew that his avoidance was hurting everyone. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he just couldn't bring himself to move forward. He was stuck.

He found a secluded place in the park and sat down at a bench, hoping that he could reconnect with Middle-Earth. He had only read a couple of pages when a voice interrupted him.

"Hello, Logan."

Logan bit his lip and looked up, shading his eyes with his hand to see against the glare of the sun. "Hi." He greeted the Jennifers flatly.

The brunette seemed to be the spokesperson today. Logan was convince that they took turned and that the only thing they shared was the privilege of being nasty to people. "What happened?" Jennifer inquired, pointing to the cast on his hand.

"This?" Logan glanced at in confusion. "It's broken, not that if it's any of your business since I doubt you care. Now if you'll excuse me," His voice was cool as he held up his book meaningfully. "I'm trying to-"

"Oh!" Jennifer interrupted him once again and covered her mouth with one hand. Logan was momentarily distracted by the impossibly green shade of her fake nails but he managed to focus on what she was saying to him. "Did James do that to you?" Her eyes were wide and on either side of her, the other Jennifers were trying and failing to hide smirks of their own.

The question caught Logan completely off guard. His mouth fell open until he realized that he probably looked like the Jennifers. Irony sucked. He shut his mouth and tried to think of what he was supposed to say.

Unfortunately, Jennifer took his silence as an answer. Her eyes widened even more if it was possible. "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. "He totally did!"

"What?" Logan finally found his voice. "No! I mean, it's broken but-"

"So not only did he steal your girlfriend, he also broke your hand." Jennifer's voice rose with each word, attracting the attention of everyone within hearing. She clucked her tongue and touched Logan on the side of his face. "Some friend."

Logan jerked away from her touch as if she had burnt him. "Jennifer," He said, loud enough do that everyone listening in could hear him. "James did _not_ break my hand."

"Logan, you don't have to defend him." Jennifer's voice dripped of false sympathy as her arm swept in a grand gesture to indicate those around them. "Everyone knows what happened between him and Camille."

Logan glared at the on-lookers but only a few looked ashamed and walked away. "James didn't hit me." He could just barely refrain from yelling. "He would never hurt me."

But those were the wrong words. Logan had meant that James would never hurt him psychically. He had made a mistake and Jennifer pounced on it. "But he did hurt her." She let her words sink in to not only Logan but the remaining eavesdroppers. When she saw that her job was finished, she smirked one last time then turned on her heel and sauntered off, the other Jennifers in perfect sync with her cat walk.

Logan stared after her, feeling a little sick. He could hear the other Palm Woods residents whispering to one another and looked up at them. "I punched a wall." He said lamely. But it was too late. The damage had been done. People either believed Jennifer's absurd statement that James had broken Logan's hand or they believed Logan himself and were still mad at James for making Logan angry enough to punch the wall in the first place.

Logan dropped his head into his hands. He felt angry tears stinging his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He was even more lost than before. Sure James had hurt him incredibly deeply but Logan wasn't convinced that he deserved the treatment he had been getting from everyone. It wasn't even their business. It was between Logan and James and Camille. But it was affecting Kendall and Carlos too.

If his mother was still alive Logan knew that he could talk to her and have the whole thing figured out. If he couldn't talk to her then he could talk to his dad because his dad would actual care. Logan envied his friends because of their families. He longed for parents that he could talk to about his problems. Even Kendall, whose parents divorced when the boys were eleven, had a great relationship with his own father. James was an only child so he never had to worry about another sibling posing as a possible distraction. Carlos' family was large but incredibly close. Logan just had his father an he doubted that he really had him anyway.

Logan's father had taken the loss of his young wife very hard and had pushed everyone, including Logan, away from him. He had buried himself in his work, desperate for a distraction from the pain in his life. Logan had clung to bits and pieces of hope that his father would return to him and they could be happy again. His mother had died when he was six and now at sixteen, he still hoped. He needed his parents now more than ever and since he couldn't have his mother, Logan hoped for his father. Sometimes it was all he wanted. Sometimes the pain of losing his mother and his father's avoidance hurt so badly that it was all Logan could do to keep the tears at bay. He let his friends and their families think that he was okay with his family life because he didn't want to burden them with his issues. But it was getting harder and harder to keep the act up especially in times when what Logan really needed was his father.

Ryan Mitchell had been a teenager at one point. He had friends and girlfriends. Logan wondered if he ever faced the same problem that Logan found himself facing now. Who did he talk to? Probably his own father. They had been close but the elder Mitchell had died before Logan was born. But at least he was there for his son.

Logan suddenly found himself with his cell phone in his hand as if he was about to call his father. Disgusted with himself, he shoved it back in his pocket and went back to thinking. His eyes roamed the park, taking in everything. People were still talking about the incident, he could see that from the way they glanced at him while they whispered to their companions. Everyone was on his side but he found no comfort in that fact. They didn't really care about him. They just wanted drama at the Palm Woods.

Out of the blue, a thought suddenly occurred to Logan. It interrupted his inner thoughts about how shallow some people could be and made him forget everything else. It was a horrible, terrible thought and everything hurt even worse. He stumbled to his feet and hurried away from the curious on-lookers who seemed to find him fascinating. He walked past the pool, ignoring the Jennifers where they sat at their favorite table, and into the lobby. He continued walking to the elevator when he crashed into someone.

His right hand throbbed painfully at the rough contact and Logan swayed backwards, struggling to regain his balance, when Carlos reached out to steady him.

"Logan? Are you okay? What's the matter?"

It occurred to him just then that he was crying. Maybe that was why it was so hard to see. The tears weren't very many but just enough to blur everything around him. Logan hurriedly wiped them away with one hand and tried to answer Carlos. "Where-" His voice cracked on the one word. He felt like he was on the edge of hysteria. "Where's James?" Logan finally managed to choke out. The name sounded foreign coming from him and he wondered when it was the last time he had spoken it.

It was no surprise when Carlos was confused by his question. "James?" He asked, sounding as if Logan had asked him the most absurd question ever.

Logan nodded. "I need to. . . I need to talk to him."

Poor Carlos was even more confused than before. Logan had gone out of his way to avoid being in the same room as James for nearly a week and now he wanted to talk to him. Carlos hesitated just slightly. He was afraid of what Logan would say to James. He didn't want either of his friends to be hurt worse than before. But then Carlos looked at Logan and he smiled a little. "He's up in 2J."

"Thanks." Logan called over his shoulder as he hurried over to the elevator. When it seemed to take longer than usual, he lost his patience and took to the stairs. He finally reached their apartment and walked quickly in.

Instantly his eyes landed on James who was watching TV with Kendall. Both of the others boys looked up when they heard him come in. Carlos had apparently followed him because he was suddenly there too. But Logan only really saw James.

He looked so much different than he used to. His hair was combed but not with the usual care. His clothes were slightly wrinkled and Logan was pretty sure that he was wearing the same shirt as the day before. But it was the expression on James' face that bothered Logan the most. His face was pale and tired looking, like he hadn't slept in days. His hazel eyes held deep sadness and regret that made Logan wince. Things were worse than he had thought. He just hoped it wasn't too late.

"James," Again, the name sounded odd and when Logan saw how the others reacted, he knew it wasn't just him. "Can. . . can we talk?" The words were spoken so softly that he wondered if he would have to repeat himself.

At first James looked so surprised that he didn't even know what to say. But then understanding dawned on his face and he nodded. "Where?"

Logan winced again when he heard how much James' voice shook on the one word. He tore his gaze away from his hurting friend and looked at Kendall and Carlos who seemed to be wondering if one of them was going to explode. "My room?" He asked.

James nodded again and then stood up. He followed Logan down the hall and into his room.

Once again the irony wasn't lost on Logan. The last time they had been in the same room together, James had been reading the letter Logan wrote to his mom. The time before that was the night everything had started. But he was determined to make everything right again if James would even let him.

**A/N. Oh my. I think I overdosed on the angst. Again. I should probably stop. Review?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N. If I stop updating all of a sudden it's because I exploded. I don't own anything.**

"He won't even look at me." James said quietly. "It's not just me though. I could live with myself if it was just me. It's what I deserve. But he's avoiding everyone. I messed everything up, Kendall."

Kendall was at a loss for words. He had been telling James that it wasn't just his fault and that Camille was just as much to blame, even more so since she still refused to take responsibility. He had been telling James not to worry so much because Logan would come around eventually. But it had been a week since the incident and there had been no change in Logan's demeanor. He was worried for all of his friends. They stood together and they fell together. This time they had yet to get up.

James wasn't comforted by Kendall's silence. He knew that Kendall and Carlos had forgiven him but it didn't matter if he didn't have Logan's forgiveness as well. "I need to talk to him." He bit his bottom lip and blinked away tears.

"I know." Kendall placed his hand on James' shoulder. His free hand ran though his blonde hair, making it stick up haphazardly. He didn't care. "I'm sorry, James."

Before James could reply, the door of the apartment swung open to reveal Logan and Carlos. To his dismay, he saw that Logan's brown eyes were filled with tears and he didn't even notice Carlos until the other boy had walked past him to stand by Kendall and Carlos. Instead of ignoring James like he had been doing for the past several days, Logan looked right at him and then spoke to him.

"James," His voice shook and he had to stop and steady himself before he could go on. "Can. . . can we talk?"

James didn't know what to say. _Logan_ wanted to talk to _him_. The idea was a foreign concept to him and it took some time for James to find his voice. "Where?" He managed to ask.

Logan glanced at Kendall and Carlos. James saw them out of the corner of his eye, watching the two warily. "My room?"

James could only nod and he stood up to follow Logan into his room. He watched as Logan sank down on his bed and nodded at James to sit too. But James' body refused to obey the silent order even though his mind wanted to. He began pacing around the room and, unable to wait for Logan to speak, he went right into a speech.

"I'm sorry, Logan." The words came easily, bottled up for so long they came rising to the surface in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. He didn't try to stop talking and to his surprise Logan was quiet as well. He didn't stop to think what the other boy's silence meant though and he continued to ramble. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I agreed to help Camille and I'm sorry I ever had feelings for her. I'm sorry I wasn't more honest to you and I'm sorry I didn't try to stop before everything got out of control. I'm sorry I hurt you and I'm sorry I read the letter you wrote to your mom. I'm sorry I'm such a horrible friend."

"Logan, if I could go back in time and change everything then I would in a second. It kills me to see you like this. I understand if you don't ever want to see me again. I deserve what I got and much worse. But Logan, I don't want you to draw away from everyone. Kendall and Carlos and Mrs. Knight and Katie are all so worried about you. So am I. You're scaring us with the way you've been acting. Don't keep doing this to everyone, Logan. Please."

"Is it me? Logan, I don't blame you if you never forgive me. I don't deserve your forgiveness or your friendship. But I do want you to be happy. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy again." James paused to take a deep breath. "So tell me, Logan. What can I do? Do you want to only seem me when we have rehearsals or concerts? Do you want me to quit Big Time Rush and move back to Minnesota? Is there anything I can do to make you happy again?"

He was wrung dry of words. James collapsed where he stood, in the middle of Logan's room, and struggled to continue the losing battle with his tears. "Please," He begged, looking at Logan. "Just talk to me." A sob tore from his throat and once he started he couldn't stop. The tears had been threatening for days and were now making up for lost time. James' entire body shook and no matter how hard he tried to regain control of himself, he only cried harder.

Dimly he sensed a movement but he couldn't bring himself to lift his gaze to see what was going on. It was then that James felt something he never thought he'd feel again. Logan's arms were wrapped around him and holding him tightly, offering comfort that he didn't deserve. James cried impossibly harder but Logan never loosened his hold.

When his tears finally slowed and his sobs finally quieted enough so that James could hear, Logan spoke. "There is one thing that would make me happy." He pulled away but one hand remained on James' shoulder.

James looked up and forced himself to speak. "What is it?" He asked desperately.

Logan smiled just slightly but it was a real smile, the first one in days. "Actually, there are two things."

"Anything." James promised.

Logan's smile vanished and when he spoke, there were tears in his eyes. "It'd make me happy if you could forgive me and be my best friend again." His voice shook with every word but he managed to stammer out a sort of apology.

James' jaw dropped. He only heard the first part of Logan's statement and missed the second part entirely. "Forgive _you_?" He repeated in disbelief. "Forgive you for what?"

"For being like my dad." There was so much pain in Logan's voice that it was nearly unbearable to hear. He held up a hand before James could say anything else. "Just let me talk, okay?" When James nodded, he took a deep breath and started talking.

"I was reading in the park today when the Jennifers came up to me and asked them what happened to my hand. I told them it was broken but I didn't say how it broke and somehow they came up with the idea what _you_ broke it."

"Well," James began. "I kind of did."

Logan shook his head. "I'm the one who punched a wall. Let me finish okay?"

"I'm sorry." James apologized once again.

"Anyway, the Jennifers being that nasty people they are, decided to spread the rumor that you broke my hand and no matter what I said, no one really believed me." Logan rolled his eyes. "Which is ridiculous since it's my hand."

"I don't see how this makes you think you were acting like your dad." James said in confusion.

"Well, maybe if you'd just listen you might get a better idea." Logan sighed. "After they left, I got to thinking. I had been pushing you and everyone else away since everything happened and that's not right." Logan bit his lip. "That's what my dad has been doing to me all of these years and I feel like such a hypocrite for treating all of you the same way."

"Logan," James said firmly, not caring if he was interrupting. "You are nothing like your dad. You never have been and you never will be."

"Look at what I did to all of us though!" Logan threw up his hands in aggravation. "How is it different from the way he's treated me?"

James was silent. He knew the answer but he wanted to make sure he said the right words. "Because you've put up with so much crap in your life and you've always just dealt with it better than anyone else would. Me on the other hand-"

"You're such a hypocrite, you know that?" Logan laughed shortly. "You keep beating yourself up and then telling me to stop doing the same."

"Yeah well, isn't that what you're doing?" James asked. He bit his lip, afraid he had gone too far. He felt like he was already walking on very thin ice.

But to his surprise, Logan gave him a crooked smile. "I guess." He slowly reached over for James, taking notice of the way his friend flinched at the touch. "I really am sorry, James."

All James had wanted all week long was for Logan to forgive him or at least come out of his protective shell and be with people that cared about him the most even if it meant excluding James. Now Logan was possibly ready to be his friend again and yet it felt wrong. "Logan, I'd accept your apology in a heartbeat if there was anything for you to be sorry about. But I can't. . . ." He shook his head and stood up, resuming his pacing. "I can't let you be sorry about any of this, Logan."

Logan opened his mouth to protest but instead he stopped and listened.

"You have everything backwards or something, Logan. You're blaming yourself for something you had no control of and its all coming back to that worthless man you've been forced to call a father for all of these years. I'm sorry, Logan." James stopped long enough to look at Logan, pleading for him to understand. "I know you like to think the best of people but the best of Ryan Mitchell died with his wife." He paused again and waited for Logan to start yelling at him but the other boy was silent.

"You're a much better person than your father, Logan. Never think that you're like him in anyway because it's not true. See, if you were really like him then you would never speak to me again and you would continue to draw away from everyone else."

"I was doing it because I thought it would hurt less." Logan admitted in a whisper.

"Okay, well and then you saw that it didn't help. That shows that you're smarter than your dad. It shows you're braver too because take it from me, it's not easy admitting that you were wrong. And by the way, I still don't think you were wrong to push me away, just everyone else because they didn't do anything to hurt you." James shook his head. "Not like me anyway."

"Maybe you're right." Logan said softly. He looked up at James and frowned at the haunted expression on his face. Logan wanted more than anything to see that expression lift and see his friend again. "So I'm not allowed to be sorry?" He was still confused.

"You're not allowed to be sorry about the way you treated me." James said stubbornly.

"But I am." Logan turned his gaze to look out the window. "You're one of my best friends, James. You and Kendall and Carlos have always been there for me when my dad wasn't. Friends don't-"

"Friends don't fall in love with other friend's girlfriends. Friends don't cause other friends to break their hand. Friends don't invade other friend's privacy by reading their letters. So where does that leave me?" James asked hesitantly.

Logan was silent for a long time. Then he looked away from the window and back at James. "Well, if I'm not allowed to be sorry, am I allowed to forgive you?" A hint of a grin crossed his face when he saw James' disbelief. "See, because I kind of miss having three best friends."

"You. . . You do?"

Logan nodded and crossed the room to stand by James. "I miss you guys a lot." He said, his voice catching. "Because without you, I don't have anyone to go to. And I hate seeing all of you hurting too."

James swallowed and then asked the question he was afraid to ask. "Will you forgive me?"

In answer Logan stepped forward and wrapped James in another awkward hug. His right hand was a little constricted by the brace but he didn't mind. He felt James lean into the embrace and felt his body shaking with quiet sobs. To Logan's surprise, his own eyes had filled with tears that were running down his face and soaking into James' T-shirt. "I'm sorry, James." He mumbled, despite his unspoken promise to not apologize.

James dimly heard Logan apologize once again and nodded his head in the only response he could manage. "It's fine." He whispered when his tears had slowed once again. "I'm just glad you're my friend again." He savored the words, still in a state of disbelief.

"Me too." Logan sighed and pulled away. "If I ever act like that again. . . I mean push everyone away, just lock me in a closet until I come to my senses."

"And if I ever hurt you again, please punch me and not the wall." James was perfectly serious.

"Well," Logan grinned. "I don't know about punching _you_ but I would like to settle a score with a certain someone. Three someones actually. You think you're up to it?"

James nodded eagerly. "But not because of what they said about me. Only because of-"

"Shut up and stop beating yourself up." Logan rolled his eyes but he was just as serious as James. "Let's move on."

"What about-"

"Camille?" Logan guessed. "I'd like to forgive her too but she needs to come to me." He frowned. "She really let you take the blame, didn't she?" At James' nod, his frown deepened. "She can wait." He said finally. "Whatever happens with her happens."

"But," James struggled to understand. "How can you just move on so easily? I thought you loved her."

"Me too." Logan shrugged. "I made a mistake I guess. But I'd rather have you and Kendall and Carlos as my best friends than Camille as my girlfriend so I'm happy."

"Okay." James smiled then, the first real smile with no hesitation, in days. "Thanks, Logan."

Logan nudged James with his shoulder to get him moving. "What are friends for?" He shook his head. "Now that we're both done being a couple of girls I think we should get Kendall and Carlos in on our plan."

James obediently moved forward. "You mean, _your _plan. I'm a little lost, Logie."

Logan opened the door and beckoned James to go on ahead. "Let's just say I'm a little sick and tired of the Jennifers and I think they might deserve a tiny taste of their own medicine.

**A/N. . . . That was really gay and stupid, wasn't it? Oh well. At least it's almost over. One more chapter, whoo-hoo! Then I can start 'Nightmares'! YAY! Review?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N. Yay! Last chapter! I always feel accomplished when I finish a story. It's nice. Well, okay, this chapter will be all over the place emotionally but that's okay, right? I don't own anything.**

"Do you think they killed each other in there?" Carlos longed to listen in on the much needed conversation between James and Logan but Kendall wouldn't allow it. Instead, they both kept a safe distance from Logan's bedroom and continued to watch TV. Actually, they had been staring the screen without really watching it. Carlos didn't even know what was on. Either an episode of _Cake Boss _or _Gossip Girl. _The drama was all the same.

Kendall chuckled but he sounded a little nervous. "No, Carlos. I know for a fact that James wouldn't even think of _touching_ Logan and Logan. . ." He trailed off, searching for the words. "I don't think Logan could ever be angry enough at James to actually kill him."

Carlos switched the TV off and turned to face Kendall. "Well, then what's going to happen?"

"I don't know." Kendall admitted with a sigh. "You came up with Logan, did he say anything?"

"I ran into him on my way downstairs. He was headed up and he asked me if I knew where James was. He looked upset but I couldn't tell why." Carlos shrugged helplessly. "Kendall, what's going to happen to us if Logan and James never make up? We can't keep going like we have been this week. We don't work that way."

Kendall had _no_ idea what to say to Carlos but before he could even open his mouth and say anything at all, Logan's door opened. Both boys jumped and turned to look down the hallway in nervous anticipation.

They saw James first. He looked completely wrung dry of every emotion possible. His eyes were red and swollen with tears that he had shed and he even looked a little unsteady on his feet. But when he saw Kendall and Carlos watching him, his face lit up and he smiled at them. "Hey." He greeted casually.

Before Kendall could even ask how James could just say "hey" to them and leave it at that, Logan appeared at James' shoulder. He looked tired but happy for the first time in days. "Hey, guys."

"Hey?" Carlos questioned. "Is that all either of you are going to say?" He leaned forward and stared at Logan and James with an unconvincing glare. "What happened? I've been on pins and needles all day waiting for you two to come out and-"

"Pins and needles?" Logan questioned. "Who says that anymore?"

"Me!" Carlos exclaimed. "Anyway-"

"We're good." Logan interrupted him again, his face solemn. He cleared his throat, looking a little nervous. "I'm sorry about the way I acted this past week. You two were caught in the middle of this whole mess and it wasn't fair of me to get all withdrawn the way I did. I know I worried you and I'm sorry."

Kendall wavered in between giving both James and Logan a light scolding, and hugging them. Carlos decided for him when the smaller boy bounded to his feet and wrapped Logan in a suffocating hug. He embraced James quickly and then they both had to work to separate Carlos from Logan.

"Carlos, I love you too man, but it's really hard to breath right now." Logan tried to laugh but it came out in a pathetic gasp for air. "Carlos-"

"Sorry." Carlos finally let him go and grinned sheepishly. "But dude, I'm glad you're back with us."

"Me too." Logan nodded. "I told James if I ever tried to do that again then you guys need to just lock me in a closet until I come to my senses."

James rolled his eyes. "And I told Logan to punch me if I ever did anything to hurt him again and to leave the wall alone."

Carlos nodded in wide-eyed agreement. "Did you see the dent?"

James stiffened. "What dent?"

"Carlos," Logan stepped forward and gave his friend a small shove. "It's nothing." He told James, his face turning red. "I just put a little dent in my wall when I punched it. Don't start feeling all guilty again, okay?"

Kendall looked impressed. "That must have been some punch, Logan."

"Anyway!" Logan stopped Kendall and Carlos before they could say anything else that made James feel worse. "I did break my hand, remember? But that's all over. I thought of an idea a little while ago."

"An idea?" Kendall and Carlos looked equally lost by the sudden change of subject.

Logan nodded. "See, the Jennifers are currently spreading a rumor all over Palm Woods that James broke my hand" He looked uncharacteristically angry. "Besides, I'm just sick and tired of the Jennifers in general and the way they walk all over everyone else. I thought we could pull a prank."

"Sweet!" Carlos cheered at the prospect. "Gosh, Logan I didn't know you had it in you." He returned Logan's earlier shove and smiled when James automatically reached out and steadied him. "So, what's the plan?"

Logan grinned. "We'll have to split up at first. Kendall, you and Carlos go sneak into Bitters' office and figure out which air ducts leads to the Jennifers' rooms. James and I are going to the grocery store."

"The. . . grocery store?" James repeated in confusion. "I'm not following you, Logan." A quick glance at Carlos and Kendall showed him that he wasn't the only one.

"You don't have to follow me yet." Logan replied. "Just listen to me." He grinned and pulled out his car keys, handing them to James. "You can drive. And trust me."

* * *

"Logan, can I ask why we're buying cheese?" James looked at the package, suspiciously.

"It's not just any cheese, James." Logan said patiently. "It's Limburger cheese."

"Okay." James said, unimpressed. "Then can I ask why we're buying Limburger cheese?"

Logan smirked. "Smell it."

Without even questioning his best friend's order, James lifted the package of cheese and inhaled deeply. Almost instantly, the powerful odor reached him and practically burned his nostrils. His eyes stung and he dropped the cheese into Logan's hands so he could recover. "Logan," He choked out. "I think that cheese is stale."

Logan laughed. "James, it's _supposed _to smell bad."

"That doesn't smell bad." James held both hands over his nose. "That smells. . ." He shook his head. "I don't even know."

"I know." Logan frowned slightly as he tried to hold the cheese with one hand and pay the cashier at the same time.

"Here." James reluctantly took the cheese back and waited until Logan was done. "Is this all we need?"

"Well, as long as Kendall and Carlos come through, which they usually do, we'll be all set." Logan wiped his forehead as they walked out into the bright sun. "Even the weather is on our side."

"You're kidding." James complained. "It's like 100 degrees outside."

"I know. That's what makes it so perfect. The Jennifers will probably want to stay indoors." Logan glanced at James as they climbed in the Big Time Rush mobile. "You still haven't figured this out, have you?"

James shook his head. "No, I'm still lost." He admitted. He smiled when Logan rolled his eyes and then fell silent for a short time to concentrate more on his driving. "Logan, can I ask you a serious question?" He asked once they came to a red light.

"Sure, James." Logan looked surprised at his hesitance.

"Don't get upset, okay?" James drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the light to change.

"Does this mean you think I will get upset?" Logan raised his eyebrows, questioningly.

"Knowing you? Yeah."

"Well, I'll try my best but I can't make any promises. What's up?"

James was relieved when the light turned green and he had a couple more seconds before he spoke again. "Why did you forgive me so easily?"

Logan burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right? What was easy about that?"

"Nothing." James admitted. He was quiet as he tried to come up with a better way to explain himself. "I mean, in the end. It was just. . . I don't know."

"Because you're my friend and you always will be." Logan rubbed the back of his neck. "You need to let this go so I can stop being such a girl." He pleaded.

James laughed. "Okay. Thanks again, Logan."

"Anytime." Logan muttered, still embarrassed.

The Palm Woods pool was crowded when the boys got back and Logan led James through the lobby to their room. They stopped at the elevator and James cringed when Camille walked out.

"Oh," She looked surprised to see them together. "Hi."

"Hey, Camille." Logan replied coolly. "How are you?"

Camille, to James' complete shock, actually smiled. "Great! I'm really busy with that movie that James helped me audition for and-"

The rest of her words were cut off though when Logan suddenly stepped forward and pressed his lips to hers. His good hand gently brushed a dark lock of hair off of her forehead and he let his fingers trailed down the side of her face. She started in surprise but didn't pull away and had just started to kiss Logan back when he stepped back. They were both a little breathless and James could only stand there, unable to process anything that had happened. Then Logan lifted his hand in a wave. "See you around, Camille." James was still in a state of shock so Logan grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the elevator.

The doors closed and James turned to Logan. "What was that?" He asked in disbelief.

Logan grinned. "I was just giving Camille a taste of her own medicine." He said, innocently. The grin faded and he looked a little sad. "She wasn't even sorry. At all. You saw her, James. She was perfectly happy with her little TV show role. She didn't care about either of us."

James couldn't argue. It hurt him to see how easily she talked about that disastrous role and never seemed a bit sorry for her actions. He tentatively dropped an arm over Logan's shoulders, relaxing when Logan didn't pull away.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked softly as the elevator doors opened. "I mean, you loved her too."

"I don't think I know what love is anymore. Not the romantic kind anyway. I can't figure out what I saw in her to begin with. She had a part in almost permanently destroying an eleven year friendship and she didn't care. I thought she did at first but the more time that went by, the less sorry she seemed."

Logan groaned. "I think we should just stay single for a while." He looked up at James. "But seriously, are you okay?"

James grinned. "I have my best friends back and we're about to prank the Jennifers. Who needs a girl to mess things up? I couldn't be better right now."

* * *

"You do know if we get caught, the Jennifers will have our heads on a silver platter." Kendall pointed out with a grin.

"Casualties of war." Carlos remarked, patting his helmet.

"Besides," Logan insisted. "We won't get caught."

Kendall looked skeptical. "How do you know that? We almost always get caught."

"Yeah, well this time I'm in charge." Logan replied, cheerfully. "Just watch." He nodded to James. "Come on. Let's head down to the pool before the Jennifers leave." He looked at Carlos and Kendall. "We can only distract them for about ten minutes at the most. You'd better hurry."

Carlos saluted him. "You can count on us!"

Logan and James exchanged a look. "We'll see." They said together.

Just as Logan had predicted, the Jennifers were already on their way up when they reached the lobby. The instant they saw the two boys together however, they stopped, frowning is disapproval. "Hi, girls!" Logan greeted them.

"Logan. James." The brunette Jennifer was still in charge. "You two look like you patched things up."

"Yup." Logan nodded. "It took a little while but we finally got everything sorted out."

"How nice." Jennifer replied, sarcasm lacing her every word.

"Yeah I mean, it was weird." Logan went on. "We've been friends for eleven years that it didn't seem worth it to end it because of a girl."

"A girl. Meaning Camille." Jennifer was obviously wracking her brain for something to say that would upset Logan or James.

Logan flinched slightly at the name but he held steady. "Camille." He confirmed with a nod. "I've known James practically my whole life and we've only known Camille for. . . less than a year. We've been through a lot together along with Carlos and Kendall. And me being mad at James as messing all of that up."

"I see." Jennifer was clearly done. "Well, I'm happy for you two. You four." She corrected herself. "Friendship prevails."

"As it should." Logan tugged a mute James along with him as he followed the escaping Jennifers. "I'm sure you know that. How long have you been friends?"

"Friends?" The three girls laughed. "We're _not_ friends." Jennifer told him like she was talking to a child. "We convenience each other so we're not all alone."

"That's a shame." Logan remarked as he and James continued following them to the elevator. "Friends make the world go 'round."

The elevator doors closed on the Jennifers watching him like he had come from outer space and Logan grinned when he saw James gawking.

"What did you say?" The older boy finally choked out.

Logan lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "You heard me. Come on. The stairs are faster. We need to make sure Kendall and Carlos are in the clear." He glanced at his friend as they hurried down the hallway. "So are you good now?"

"I am." James nodded, knowing that Logan's "friendship speech" hadn't just been for the Jennifers' benefit. He shook his head. "How are you so smart, Logan? You took care of everything in one afternoon. It'd take me at least two weeks."

"But eventually you'd get it all fixed." Logan pointed out. "That's all the matters in the end." He sighed in relief when he saw Kendall and Carlos waiting for them in front of 2J. "Did you get everything done?"

Carlos nodded eagerly. "That fungus you call Limburger cheese is in the Jennifers' air ducts right now. And as soon as they turn on the air conditioner they're going to smell every piece."

"Awesome." Logan high-fived them both. "Let's go play the role of the innocents now."

"What are we going to do?" James asked.

Logan shoved open the apartment door. "It's almost dinner and Mrs. Knight was making lasagna earlier this afternoon so I don't want to go too far. How about we watch a movie? I'm kind of in the mood to watch _Miracle_."

**A/N. I'm sorry. Lol. I tried not to make the ending corny but Logan insisted. He also insisted on winning the entire chapter. Anyway, another story has come to and end and SURPRISE! There was no couple at the end! Ha. How many of you expected that? How many of you hate me for making Camille such a horrible person? Well. WyszLo approved and that's all that matters because she is my friend so ha. I'll shut up now. Lol. I hope to have 'Innocence Lost' updated soon and I also hope to post 'Nightmares' soon. So. Since this was the last chapter can I ask for a review? Love you all!**


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